A Matter of Trust
by FaithinBones
Summary: Booth has lost his trust in the FBI because of their betrayal. James Aubrey wants to earn that trust back.
1. Chapter 1

(The Purging of the Pundit)

I really don't own Bones.

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He'd tried to get assigned to the Hoover as soon as possible and his dream had finally come true. James Aubrey was a good FBI agent and considered a rising star by the upper echelon of the FBI. Aubrey knew that and he did have ambitious plans for his future, but he had hit a stumbling block after a few weeks at the Hoover and he wasn't sure how to fix it.

Aubrey was a huge admirer of Agent Seeley Booth and one of the reasons he'd wanted to work out of Major Crimes. The Head of Major Crimes had a solid reputation as an investigator and his solve rate was phenomenal. He and his partner Dr. Temperance Brennan were a great pair of investigators and Aubrey hoped someday to emulate them, but currently Agent Booth didn't trust him and didn't want to work with him.

When he'd been transferred to the Hoover, Seeley Booth was in prison under suspicion of murder. Aubrey had been stunned and he'd been appalled with the hate filled rhetoric coming from his fellow FBI agents aimed at the incarcerated agent, but he kept his silence. None of what was said made sense to him and he wasn't about to let gossip influence his opinion about anyone let alone someone he admired. He knew that there was more going on than was being told to them, he just didn't know what it was.

Once Booth was freed from prison and his name had been cleared, Aubrey tried to attach himself to the man, but Booth balked. Booth didn't trust anyone at the Hoover and that included Agent James Aubrey.

Not sure how to handle the situation, Aubrey had consulted with Dr. Lance Sweets and the psychologist had given him some advice, some of if useful and some of it not so useful. The most important thing Sweets had told him was to give it time. Booth was an honorable man who had been betrayed by the institution he loved. Aubrey would have to prove to Booth that he could be trusted, but that would take time and a lot of patience.

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Depressed, Aubrey was slowly looking over the latest interviews concerning the murder of Hutch Whitehouse. He was still waiting for some forensic evidence from the Jeffersonian and he was hoping it would point them towards the killer. A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "Oh, Dr. Brennan . . . um." Not sure why the forensic anthropologist was standing inside his office, Aubrey stood up. "If you're looking for Booth, I think he's probably in his office . . . he doesn't exactly hang out with me."

With a slight smile on her lips, Brennan moved across the room and sat down on the chair in front of Aubrey's desk. "Booth is too isolated."

Puzzled, Aubrey sat down. "He wants it to be that way . . . He doesn't trust anyone right now . . . well, he trusts you and the people at the Jeffersonian, but he doesn't trust anyone here at the Hoover."

"Can you blame him?" Brennan was curious about his response. She needed to know who James Aubrey was. "He was betrayed by an organization that he loves and once he was betrayed the people he'd worked with for years became complicit in his betrayal. They didn't search for the truth, they assumed facts not in evidence and blamed my husband for murders he didn't commit. I'd say he has a right to feel betrayed don't you?"

Her words were true and Aubrey couldn't refute them, at least not when it came to the other agents in the building, but he was different. He hadn't been in the Hoover when Booth was betrayed and he'd been careful not to stain his honor while the man was in prison. "Dr. Brennan, I know Booth got a raw deal . . . I really do know that, but I'm not part of the problem. I can be part of the solution if he'd just work with me."

A little impatiently, Aubrey shifted on his chair, folded his hands on the desk and sighed. "I've been trying to get Agent Booth to let me work with him since the day I met him. I didn't have anything to do with what happened to him and I've told him that, but he's not listening to me . . . Dr. Sweets had a long talk with me when he came back to the Hoover and before he died. He made sure I was someone he could trust, because he was looking for someone that would have Agent Booth's back. Dr. Sweets was scared for Booth. He was afraid that no one would be there to protect Booth when he needed it. He chose me to do that, but Booth won't trust me. He . . . he's too caught up in what happened to him and he . . ."

"He's afraid, Agent Aubrey." Brennan wanted Aubrey to understand exactly what was going on. "Not physically of course. Booth is a very brave man . . . that is not what I am talking about. Booth and I uncovered a secret organization that was corrupting our government . . ."

"And they tried to murder Booth to shut him and you up . . . I know." Aubrey felt like he was butting his head against a brick wall. "I wasn't part of that mess . . . I was never part of that mess and I didn't believe what was going on when he was thrown in prison . . . the facts didn't add up, but no one was interested in anything I had to say about it . . . I did volunteer to have Booth's back when he came back and you'd think that would mean something since no one else trusted Booth and refused to work with him. I did though. I know a good man when I see one."

Pleased with Aubrey's answers, Brennan smiled. "And so do I Agent Aubrey. That's why I'm going to help you. I want Booth to work with you and I think I know how."

Curious, Aubrey leaned back against his chair. "Well if you know how to get him to let me help him, then fire away, because right now, I'm just treading water here."

Brennan stared at the agent and tried to translate what he'd just said to her. "Your metaphors are very mixed and slightly confusing."

Unable to help it, Aubrey chuckled even though the situation was serious. "Yeah, thanks . . . what do you want me to do?"

"I have to go back to the Jeffersonian, but I'll be back this afternoon and I will fix this." Standing, Brennan looked around his office. "You have a small refrigerator. Booth doesn't have one in his office."

Aubrey shrugged his shoulders. "It's mine. I paid for it. I like to keep a lot of juice and bottled water plus a few snacks. An engine needs fuel and the snack machine can't give me everything I want."

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan left the office.

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True to her word, Brennan forced the issue and talked Booth into working with Aubrey. They wrapped up the case and both men were satisfied with the results.

Aubrey was going over his notes when he heard a noise near his door. Surprised, he looked up and found Booth standing just outside staring at him. The scrutiny a little intense, Aubrey straightened his tie and smiled. "I'm just going over my notes before I start to type up my report . . . you need me for anything?"

Slowly nodding his head, Booth entered the office and stopped a few feet from the door. "Sweets trusted you."

Not sure where this conversation was going, Aubrey decided to just nod his head.

Booth pulled his lips between his teeth and debated what he wanted to say. "Sweets had my back. He was a good man . . . a good friend. He shouldn't have died like that. He had a family and Daisy is going to have his baby. I . . . he trusted you."

"Yes." Aubrey felt that this conversation was long overdue, but he didn't want to make the man across the desk from him anxious. "I wasn't in the Hoover when all that shit went down against you. I transferred in after you were incarcerated . . . I transferred here because of you. I wanted to work with you."

Surprised, Booth moved over to the chair and sat down. He was tired and he was still losing a lot of sleep at night. "I was in jail and you transferred here anyway?"

Patiently, Aubrey tried to put Booth at ease. "Yeah I did. I knew that you were being railroaded, I just didn't know why. I've heard a lot of great things about you and no way what was happening added up . . . I was hoping that it would work out and it did . . . of course, busting open a treasonous organization was more than I counted on, but hey, those assholes are finished and . . . and I hope you'll let me continue to work with you."

Booth nodded his head. "Bones thinks you're a good man . . . so did Sweets . . . I guess I'll have to trust their judgement since mine is a fucking mess right now . . . I . . . I trust Bones and . . . "

He stopped speaking because he didn't want to explain himself. Standing, Booth walked back over to the door and paused. He felt he should make himself clear, so he turned to face the younger agent. "I need someone to guard my back . . . can I count on you to do that because right now . . . right now, I don't trust any of the other agents in this building. Some of them still think I got away with murder. They don't give a shit that this was all a plot by a shadow government. They hate me and it's going to take time for them to accept me back. In the meantime, I need backup . . . are you in this with me or not?"

Aubrey stood up and leaned on his desk. "I've got your back, Booth. I'm in it when it counts."

Satisfied, Booth nodded his head and left. Once the Head of Major Crimes was gone, Aubrey sat down and stared at the empty doorway. _"Sweets was right. Booth has been through too much, but he said that Booth was a fighter and I believe him. He'll be alright. Me and Dr. Brennan will make sure of that."_

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I hope you liked my story. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

(The Murder in the Middle East)

There were several requests for another chapter to this story. As I added the chapter to the story I became interested in the possibilities of the story and it grew so that it will now be five chapters long. I hope this is what you wanted.

I don't own Bones.

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Aubrey wasn't comfortable with the situation, but he was caught in the middle and he'd done that on purpose. Booth had needed someone to cover his back and Aubrey was the man to do it. Of course, being a go between with a sleazy bookie and Dr. Brennan to save Booth's job hadn't been what he'd had in mind when he started out, but Booth was in a bad way and Aubrey knew it.

Booth had slipped off the wagon and started gambling again and found himself in a rabbit hole for $30,000. Jimmy Kosinski hadn't flinched about the money either. He wanted his money and if he didn't get it he'd arrange for the press to find out about how the Head of Major Crimes for the FBI had gambled away a hell of a lot of money. Brennan and Aubrey had known it wasn't an idle threat either. In the end, Brennan had written a check for $30,000. Just to make sure there were no ties between Brennan and the bookie, Aubrey had cashed the check and he'd threatened Kosinski after making the cash payment to him. "If you ever take a bet from Seeley Booth again, I'll hunt you down and make sure that's the last time you ever take a bet from anyone."

"Is that a threat, Agent Aubrey?" Jimmy wanted Aubrey to know he didn't scare easy. "Cause if it is, your job could be toast like Booth's would be."

With a sneer on his face, Aubrey leaned back against his SUV and chuckled. "It's a hypothetical just like your threat to go to the press about Booth was. A hypothetical that you might just want to think about . . . oh, I got another hypothetical for you. You know who Dr. Brennan is and who she works for, right? Of course you do. Well Jimmy . . . I can call you Jimmy right? . . . Well Jimmy, if those people at the Jeffersonian wanted you or anyone like you to disappear from the face of the Earth they could do it. One minute you might be eating a hot dog in your kitchen and the next minute? . . . Gone . . . no body . . . just an empty spot where you used to be. No body no crime. Just a dumb ass loser who ate his hotdog and disappeared never to be heard from again."

Suddenly afraid, Jimmy took one step back and cleared his throat. "You can't threaten me like this. What do you think the press would do to you if they found out you were threatening me like this?"

Amused, Aubrey laughed. "Let's see . . . a notorious bookie says he's been threatened by an FBI Agent. That sleazy bookie claims that an Agent says he knows someone that can make him disappear . . . um, yeah . . . Go ahead, talk to the press, but let me tell you this, if you do . . . one word to the press . . . just one word about Booth or me or Dr. Brennan and no one will ever hear from you again . . . you got a choice. Take the $30,000 and live your life. Try any fucking shit against any of us about the bet and there won't be a life to live. Take another bet from Booth and again . . . no life to live. Your choice . . . what's it going to be?"

Certain that he wasn't being played with, Jimmy held up the bag of money in his hand. "I have my money and I don't need any more bets from Booth because thirty grand is a huge paycheck for me . . . Fuck you, Agent Aubrey. I got what I wanted."

Aubrey stood up straight and hooked his thumbs in his belt. "And I got what I wanted. No more bets, no threats just silence from you and oh by the way, if somehow the press finds out about that bet or that Booth has been gambling, I'll blame you and only you and hypothetically that will be the end of you. Got it?"

Furious, Jimmy nodded his head. "Oh yeah I got it. I got thirty large." Jimmy laughed and walked back to his car. He would keep silent and he wouldn't take another bet from Booth. He was a businessman and he knew when to step away from a situation. He was up $30,000 and that was all he'd wanted.

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Aubrey was sipping coffee when he heard his office door open and then close. His attention diverted from the apple fritter sitting on his desk, he looked up and spied Agent Booth standing in front of his door with a peculiar look on his face. "Can I help you?"

Booth slowly nodded his head and debated with himself what to say. "You helped Bones with Kosinski?"

Not sure what kind of mood Booth was in, Aubrey shrugged his shoulders. "Someone had to."

Wary of Aubrey, Booth moved a little closer and crossed his arms against his chest. "It was a mistake. I had it under control. I was going to pay him back when I got back from Iran."

Aubrey knew that Booth was in denial about his situation, but he wasn't sure how far to push him back. "Thirty thousand is a pretty big mistake . . . are you going to your meetings?"

Embarrassed and angry, Booth glared at the younger man for a full minute. "That's none of your business . . . I made a mistake and it won't happen again."

Sad that Booth wasn't accepting the things he should, Aubrey leaned back against his chair and sighed. "Fine, it won't happen again."

Unable to talk about it further, Booth finally grunted and left the room.

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A few minutes later, Aubrey entered Booth's office and placed a piece of paper on the man's desk. "Here, maybe you should familiarize yourself with this again."

Booth pulled the paper across his desk and read the Serenity Prayer. Coldly, Booth pushed the piece of paper back across the desk. "I don't need your interference, Aubrey."

Frustrated, Aubrey sat down on the chair across from Booth. "Look, you fell off the wagon. You screwed up, but denying it isn't going to help you. You have to go back to your meetings. You have to start over again unless you don't care if you lose Dr. B permanently. Cause if you don't care, keep doing the things you're doing."

His temper barely under control, Booth leaned back against his chair and forced himself to sit there instead of pounding the other agent's head against his desk. "I told you not to interfere."

Aubrey snorted. "Not to interfere? You have to be kidding me . . . I met with a bookie in a park outside of town and gave him $30,000 from your wife to pay off your debts. I had to threaten the man to keep him from going to the press about your shit. You'd have lost your job . . . you don't think they'd like to get rid out you around here? You're an embarrassment to them. You were wrongly imprisoned and the FBI was infiltrated by an anti-government group. They'd like nothing better than to not see your face in the Hoover every morning. You being here reminds them what a fucked up situation the FBI was in and that an honest man almost lost his life over it . . . I interfered because I promised you I have your back and I do, but you have to help yourself here, Booth. You have to go back to your meetings. You have to fix this mess you're in before it's too late."

His cheeks red from embarrassment, Booth sighed and rubbed the end of his nose. "I started going back to my meetings last night."

Relieved, Aubrey smiled. "Good . . . that's good. If you need me for anything you let me know. I still have your back, Booth."

Grateful that someone was on his side, Booth nodded his head. "Okay . . . thanks."

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There is going to be three more chapters in this story. Let me know what you think of it so far. Thank you.

The Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference - Reinhold Niebuhr


	3. Chapter 3

(The Woman in the Whirlpool)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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Aubrey was worried about his friend. Booth was still in a state of denial about his gambling problem and he wasn't sure what it was going to take to make Booth accept that he didn't have things under control. Booth hadn't just made a mistake, he'd fallen off the wagon and his gambling had endangered his wife and child and in the end Aubrey's and Booth's career. The man needed to accept that and make amends. He needed to move through the 12 Steps Program again, but so far as Aubrey could tell, Booth was just treading water. He didn't seem to be able to accept that he'd made more than a mistake. Sure he was going to his meetings, but it didn't seem to be helping. Booth needed to start step one and so far he was fighting it.

In the breakroom, Aubrey was searching the snack machine for something salty to eat when Booth entered the room. "Hey Booth . . . how's it going?"

Frustrated with his life, angry that he was living in an efficiency apartment instead of his house, miserable that Brennan wouldn't let him come back home, Booth tried to keep his face neutral as he poured a cup of coffee into his mug. "I'm fine."

"Really?" Aubrey wasn't so sure about that. "Been going to your meetings?"

"Yes." Booth wanted to punch something, but besides that he was fine. "I'm moved into my place. I'm going to my meetings, now back off."

Not affronted at all, Aubrey punched D4 on the snack machine control panel and watched a package of mustard pretzels fall to the floor of the machine. After he pushed the flap open, he pulled out his prize. "Have you moved past step 1?"

Coldly, Booth turned and faced his friend. "That is none of your business. Just leave it alone. I'm going to my meetings."

Since the room was empty except for them, Aubrey pressed Booth. "You have to admit you have a problem before you can move on. Going to meetings isn't good enough. You have to move through the twelve steps."

So angry he thought he might snap, Booth abruptly turned on his heels and stalked out of the room.

As he opened his package of pretzels, Aubrey tried to think of a way to force Booth to see he wasn't in control and that he was powerless against his addiction. Step one was a big step and Booth seemed to be afraid to take that step. Aubrey was afraid that Booth never would.

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It had taken the mental anguish of a young woman to make Booth see that he wasn't just hurting himself, but his family too. His failure to admit that he wasn't in control of his gambling addiction had kept him from starting through the 12 Steps program. After talking to Courtney Hodsoll, he realized that her mother's addiction to cookie jars had been harsh on the young woman. Courtney had thought her mother didn't love her, that her mother's cookie jars were more important than she was. The saddest thing of all was the fact that her mother had died trying to protect her jars from harm. Leslie's Hodsoll's obsession had killed her and she had left behind a grieving child and a man who had loved her and who had accidentally killed her. Leslie had died because her addiction was her obsession and she wasn't able or willing to get help to end it.

Booth saw his future painted bright and clear and he knew that if he didn't face his problem head on he could end up like Leslie and Brennan and his children would suffer for it like Courtney was doing. He had a gambling problem and he wasn't in control. He wasn't in control at all.

His wife and daughter were living without him because of his addiction and he needed to move on so that he could return to them. He had a lot of work to do. He just hoped Brennan was patient enough to let him do it. She was his anchor to this world and he would get her to take him back someday. He just had to win her trust back. Yeah . . . that's all he had to do.

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"I'm going to a meeting." Booth leaned into Aubrey's office doorway and smiled a rather sad smile. "I have a problem and it needs to be taken care of."

Surprised, Aubrey stood up and walked over to the doorway. His hand out, he shook Booth's hand. "I'll man the fort while you're gone."

Grateful that Aubrey was being kind about the situation, Booth released his hand. "Yeah, thanks."

Once Booth was gone, Aubrey sat down behind his desk. "Thank God." He knew this was the biggest step Booth would take. He finally admitted that he had a problem and he was going to try to fix it. Since he considered Booth his friend, he would do everything he could to help the man. If Booth needed to get to meetings, he would take up the slack. He wanted to work with Booth and he needed Booth to be at the top of his game. This was the way to get Booth there. Booth was a good man and even good men faltered.

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What do you think of my story? Let me know thank you. There are two more chapters after this one.

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A/N: 12 Steps Program: 1. We admitted we were powerless over gambling that our lives had become unmanageable.

2\. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to a normal way of thinking and living.

3\. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of this Power of our own understanding.

4\. Made a searching and fearless moral and financial inventory of ourselves.

5\. Admitted to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6\. Were entirely ready to have these defects of character removed.

7\. Humbly asked God (of our understanding) to remove our shortcomings.

8\. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

9\. Make direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10\. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

11\. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12\. Having made an effort to practice these principles in all our affairs, we tried to carry this message to other compulsive gamblers.


	4. Chapter 4

(The Next in the Last)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I really appreciate it.

A/N: Tissue alert.

I don't own Bones.

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After a lot of time spent soul searching and working through the 12 Steps Program, Booth had arrived at steps 8 and 9 on the list. First he had made a list of all the people he had harmed when he had gambled and then he had to find a way to make amends to those people without doing them harm.

Brennan had let him come back home, but he knew that his struggles weren't over. He was an addict and he always would be. He had to finish the 12 Steps Program not just for himself, but for his family and friends. When he thought about it and he thought about it a lot, he was appalled to think how close he'd come to losing the life he'd fought so hard to get.

His relationship with his wife had been that of a friend for so long, that when they finally became a couple, Booth had found it hard to believe that his fortunes had changed so drastically. He had come to believe that he would never have a family of his own. Brennan wasn't the only person in their relationship who believed that they were destined to be alone. He just had fought against it while she had tried to accept it. In the end, they came to realize that they were meant to be together and they had crossed that final line that had prevented them from doing so.

Separate they were strong, but together they were unbeatable. They both believed that and that is what had saved their relationship time after time. No matter how many times they'd been tested, in the end, they found that they needed to be together and no hardships would prevent that.

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Their day had been a long one and Booth was sad that it had ended the way it had, but he no longer worked for the FBI and Brennan no longer worked for the Jeffersonian. They hadn't accepted jobs anywhere else, but since Brennan could afford to take care of the bills, they weren't in a rush to look for work. They both needed the down time and Booth wanted to work on his 12 Steps.

"Bones, I need to talk to you." Their children were in bed and Booth found his wife in the living room folding some clothes that she had taken out of the dryer.

His tone of voice a little disturbing to her, Brennan dropped the socks she had in her hand into the basket and turned to face Booth. "Do you regret leaving the FBI already."

"What? No." Booth shook his head and moved further into the room. "Why would you say that?"

Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "You seem very somber tonight. I thought perhaps you had changed your mind about leaving the FBI. It's understandable. You've worked there for a long time."

The conversation he wanted to have made Booth anxious and he realized that his anxiety was pretty bad if his wife could pick up on it. "Bones . . . I haven't changed my mind. I need to talk to you about something important . . . I . . . I want to apologize to you . . . when my gambling put you and Christine in danger . . . I know now that hiding what I had done was a mistake and . . ."

"This isn't necessary, Booth." Brennan interrupted her husband and stepped closer to him. "You've apologized more times than even I can remember. I forgave you."

He loved her so much, but Booth knew that he needed to say what he had planned to say. "I know, but . . . look, I'm not just sorry. This isn't just an apology. I hurt you and I never meant to do that. I'm not making excuses, but . . . I don't know, things had been so bad and I fought my addiction for so long and when I got the chance to gamble . . . it felt so good and I didn't see any harm in it . . . not at the time . . . I just felt in control for the first time in a very long time . . . It was a lie of course. I was lying to myself and I was lying to you. The more I gambled the better I felt. I was winning and . . . I felt like I was finally being true to myself, but . . . but then I made some bad bets and I lost and I was ashamed to tell you. My loses started to pile up and the worse it got the more afraid I became to tell you . . . to tell anyone. I was going to find the money to pay Jimmy back. I had it, but . . . I'm ashamed to say it, but I was going to use the money my father had left me."

A little shocked, Brennan took a step back. "That money is supposed to be for Christine. You said you didn't want it."

His cheeks a blushing red, Booth hung his head. "Yeah, I know . . . I'm sorry. I was out of control and I couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop. The only reason why I stopped gambling was because you made me leave this house. You made me leave my family. I was so scared that I'd never get you back if I made another bet and so I stopped. And even though I apologized to you about it . . . it was a sincere apology, but . . . well, I need you to understand that from now on, when I feel the need to gamble I'm not going to hide it. I'll tell you about it and double down on my meetings and I'll pray really hard, but I won't gamble again. I know I might not get a second chance with you and without you and Christine in my life . . . well I wouldn't really have much of a life and I want you to know that . . . I'm working hard. I fight it every day, but it's a fight worth fighting." Booth looked up and felt a tear escape his lashes. "I'm not my Dad . . . I'm not. I love you and I will fix me. I will."

Filled with emotion, Brennan moved so that she could place her arms around her husband. "I know you're working hard to control your addiction, Booth. I know that and I support you. I forgave you the first time you apologized and I forgive you again."

A sob escaping him, Booth held Brennan close to his body and he knew that Brennan was the only reason he was able to defeat his problem. She was part of his strength. He had given up gambling for her the first time he'd met her and he would continue to fight his addiction until the day he died. For her and for him, for the things they had together.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, this is the final chapter. I hope you like it.

I don't own Bones.

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Sipping coffee from his Styrofoam cup, Booth noticed Agent James Aubrey approaching him down the path. His cup mostly full, Booth decided to throw it away anyway. He wanted to concentrate on what he had to do and he didn't need any props to help him or distract him. Once he tossed it in the trash can, he sat back down and waited.

Curious why Booth wanted to meet him on the Mall, Aubrey stopped at the coffee cart and bought a cup of coffee and a donut. His purchases in his hand, he moved down the path and stopped at the bench where Booth was sitting. "So, I thought it'd be a while before I saw you again. Aren't you supposed to be golfing or fishing or something?"

Irritated, Booth shifted on the bench and tried to be patient. "I'm not retired, Aubrey. I plan to get another job."

Amused at Booth's apparent irritation, Aubrey sat down and took a bite from his donut. "Want to come back to the FBI?"

Booth shook his head and turned to face the younger agent. "The reason why I asked you to meet me here is personal . . . I, uh . . . I'm doing my 12 steps and I'm up to step 9."

Familiar with the steps, Aubrey nodded his head. "Make direct amends where possible. That's good. That means you're almost through the steps. That's great." Aubrey took another bite of his donut. "So do you need me to help you find someone? Just let me know who it is and I'll see what I can do."

Slowly shaking his head, Booth realized that Aubrey didn't understand that Booth was there to make amends to him. "No, I'm talking to the person I need to talk to. The first apology I made was to Bones. She was the one I hurt the most and she was the one I had to talk to first . . . you're second on my list."

"Me?" Aubrey almost dropped his donut. "Why me? You didn't do anything to me when you were gambling."

Embarrassed, Booth knew that Aubrey didn't think he was a victim, but he was. "Of course I did. You risked your career paying off my bookie for Bones. My gambling endangered your career and your trust in me. I broke your trust and I want to apologize and let you know that I know what you did for me and how big it actually was. I'm sorry. All I can say is that I'm doing the best I can and I hope I never gamble again and I owe that to Bones and to you. Thank you."

His cheeks a rosy red, Aubrey stood up and threw the rest of his donut in the trash can across the path. Buying a little time, the agent sipped some of his coffee and then threw that away too. Jamming his hands into his pants pockets, he turned to face Booth. Grimly, he knew that Booth had to talk to him because he considered what he did a betrayal, but Aubrey didn't feel that way at all. Resolved to get it over with, he walked back over to the bench and sat down. "I backed you up because you would have done the same for me. I promised you when I started working with you that you could trust me and I'd always have your back. Paying Jimmy Kosinski off was just me having your back. Dr. B trusted me to take care of things and I did. Enough said."

Slowly shaking his head, Booth knew Aubrey was trying to let him off the hook, but he didn't want that. He needed to make amends to his friend. "No not enough said. You went above and beyond and you jeopardized your career. That could have blown up in your face and not only would I have gone down the drain, so would you have. Let me thank you for that . . . Please . . . I have to apologize and . . ."

"Okay." Aubrey was embarrassed that he'd forced Booth to plead with him. He knew that Booth was making amends and his own embarrassment just made Booth anxious. "You're right. I did jeopardize my career, but you know what . . . sometimes you got to do things that are risky for a friend. You and Dr. B are my friends and the shit you two have been through is . . . anyway, okay. I forgive you and you're welcome." Aware that Booth was rigid with shame, Aubrey needed to make him see that everything was okay between them. "You know what . . . I threw away a perfectly good donut because of you . . . you owe me a donut."

A little surprised at the turn of the conversation, Booth pulled his wallet from his back pants pocket and fished out a twenty dollar bill. "Um, sure, buy a box of them . . . I um . . . here."

A slight smile on his lips, Aubrey took the money and placed it in his jacket pocket. "You probably were expecting me to give this back to you or just tell you I'll buy one and give you the change, but that's not happening. I think part of your amends is you really do owe me a box of donuts, so I'm keeping the money and I'm going to drive over to Dunkin Donuts when I leave here and buy six frosted chocolate crème donuts, three glazed apple maple donuts and three glazed fritters. So thank you very much."

Chuckling, Booth placed his wallet back into his pants pocket. "Do you have the menu memorized?"

Not ashamed at all, Aubrey nodded his head. "Of course . . . Booth, you made a mistake . . . we all do that sometime in our lives, but not all of us recognize that what we did was wrong and hurt other people. You're on the right road now. You're going to your meetings. Dr. B let you move back home. You quit the FBI to get away from the insane shit that happens there. You're going to make it. A guy like you, sure you make mistakes, but you learn from them. I'm proud to call you my friend."

Aubrey's words a relief to him, Booth smiled. It was a slight smile, but a smile none the less. "Thanks Aubrey. I . . . uh, thanks."

Standing up, Aubrey looked up and saw that the clouds were starting to move in overhead. "It's supposed to rain, so I guess I'll go. I got to go get my donuts before I go back to work. See you around."

Thankful that Aubrey and listened to him and forgave him, Booth stood up and walked over to the coffee cart. "Hey Mike, how about another cup of coffee and a donut too."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


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